


Of Dementors and Patronuses

by tacitlyAnimated



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, I need a beta, M/M, also probably gonna be a long fic tbh, it's probably gonna be rly gay, nonbinary main character!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 21:30:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14553933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tacitlyAnimated/pseuds/tacitlyAnimated
Summary: Lightning lights the sky, revealing the face of a wailing child held in the arms of a hidden woman. The woman sets the child down in front of a door. Ringing the doorbell, she and lays in wait, watching the child wail in fear. Finally, the door opened, revealing another woman. The matron of the orphanage sighs in annoyance when she caught sight of the wailing child.“Gracie! We’ve got another one!” Her voice grated on the ears, causing the child to wail louder.“That’s the second one this month!” This voice was far more pleasant, coming from inside the building. “Bring the child in! We have room for one more!” The old woman grabbed the child and looked around, searching for whoever may have left the child before turning and heading back into the building. The door shut behind her, cutting off the hooded woman’s view of the child she left behind. The woman sighed quietly and gave the building one last longful glance before turning and leaving.“Farewell, child. It’ll be ten long years before you once more take your rightful place in the Wizarding World.” Her words were quiet, almost silent, and when she was done speaking she turned and disappeared in a crack, the sound merging with that of the thunder.





	Of Dementors and Patronuses

**Author's Note:**

> Word of warning: this is my first attempt at a long fic and I'm in desperate need of a beta.

Knock, knock, knock. Startled, Ash lifted their head and looked at their door-- it was rare for anyone to willingly interact with them. Humming in curiosity, Ash sat up and closed the book they had been reading. 

“Come in!” They called, their voice soft and unsure. With a creak, the door opened, revealing a man with greasy black hair and a fierce scowl set upon his face. Ash was immediately set on edge-- something about this man told him that he wasn’t going to like any and all conversations they may have. Ash took in the mans rather unusual attire and frowned in confusion, but politely remained silent about the topic.

“Who… Are you?” Ash questioned, fiddling with the strings of their hoodie. They had never seen such an unusual person before-- the poor man seemed to emanate distaste just from being near people. Or was it because he was near Ash? Ash had a hard time telling the difference sometimes. 

“Professor Severus Snape.” The man-- now known as Snape-- drawled, managing to naturally sound condescending. Or was that annoyed? Ash didn’t know. “I’m here,” he continued, “to give you this.” At that, the dour man reached into his black robes and pulled out a slightly yellowed envelope with a wax seal that displayed four different animals. “And, should you accept, I am to help you get the necessary supplies.” Far beyond the point of confusion, Ash took the envelope and opened it, reading the contents. There was some stuff in the beginning explaining what was happening, but Ash cared more about the second page. 

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

 

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.  
COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)  
by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic  
by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory  
by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration  
by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi  
by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions  
by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  
by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection  
by Quentin Trimble  
OTHER EQUIPMENT  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales  
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.  
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

 

“Hogwarts..? What is this about magic?” Ash mumbled quietly then paused, thinking about all of the times something… odd… happened around them. They sighed quietly decided to give the man the benefit of doubt. “I’m inclined to believe you, but this could still be a prank-- or even the matron trying to be rid of me once and for all. Could you, perhaps, provide proof of your claim beyond this letter?” At that, they waved the letter in their hand. Professor Snape gave the child a sneer before pulling out a stick that Ash correctly guessed to be a wand. With a swift movement of the wand and the bored drawl of an unusual word, Ash’s book set on fire. They let out a shriek of both shock and utter despair-- if they didn’t return the book in good condition, they would never be able to check out a book again. 

“Sufficient enough evidence for you, insipid brat?” The sneer was back full force as he flicked his wand again, revealing that the book was just fine. Clutching the book to their chest, Ash glared at Snape. After checking once more to make sure it was uninjured, they relaxed a bit. The professor scoffed quietly and put the wand back in his robes. “Hurry up and make your decision.” He sounded bored and impatient, almost angry. 

“I accept…” Ash stood up and adjusted their hoodie, messing with the strings mindlessly. “Shall we go?” They set the book in their drawer. Looking at the list of supplies, they frowned slightly when they came to a realization. 

“Wait… I doubt this is free. I’m an orphan, sir, I don’t have any money.” They started to nervously mess with their ring, twisting the steel around their finger several times and relaxing at the comforting feeling of the cool steel. 

“Whatever poor swine is was that left you in this dump apparently liked you enough to leave you a vault in Gringotts.” At that, the wizard reached into his robes once more, revealing a golden key. “So yes, you do have money with which to buy your supplies.” Ash stared at the key in shock before a wide grin formed on their face. They could have proper clothes, good food, so many books, and go to an amazing school that could teach them about magic. Quickly, they wiped the grin off of their face and nodded. 

“I’m ready to go, then.” Ash tucked both the key and the supply list into their pocket, then allowed the professor to lead the way. 

Soon enough, Ash was standing in front of a rather run down building called The Leaky Cauldron. Ash stared in great confusion, unsure of why they were at such a sad looking building. What did this have to do with magic? Surely something magical wouldn’t look as if it had been abandoned for years? Or never taken care of? They were pulled out of their silent contemplation by the professor beginning to talk. 

“I trust you’re less of an absolute buffoon than those I normally teach and can figure out how to get home from here, yes?” He waited until Ash nodded before continuing, “good. Then I’m leaving. To get into Diagon Alley look for a man named Tom and ask him to let you through the passage in the back.” Without even waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and disappeared with a loud crack. Ash stood there, alone, and sighed quietly to themself. Now or never. They entered the building and looked for this supposed Tom.

“Uh… would you happen to be the man named Tom?” Ash questioned a man that appeared to be the owner of the inn-- which, surprisingly, looked well kept on the inside of the building.

“That’s me! What can I do for ya?”  
“Do you think you could let me through to Diagon Alley?” The man nodded, a bright smile on his face-- Ash suspected it was fact, but they didn’t know for sure-- despite his apparent unease due to being near Ash. Pleased, Ash made their way through the entrance after Tom opened it for them. “First things first, Gringotts.” Ash’s silver gaze was immediately drawn to the large, white building. “Right, that might be it.” Heading inside the building, Ash began to properly wonder how much money they had and just who it was that had made them the vault in the first place. Was their family rich? Did they have any living relatives? Their parents must have been magic too, so why had they been left in an orphanage for normal children? How come they didn’t know about magic until today? Ash had so many questions, but no answers to go with them. 

“State your business.” An unpleasant and gravelly voice forced Ash back to reality, revealing an equally unpleasant looking creature.

“I’m here to see my vault.” Ash’s voice was steady, despite his tumultuous internal monologue of questions. They pulled the key out of their pocket, showing it to the goblin. The mean looking creature inspected the key before grunting and walking away.

“Follow me.” The words were curt and gruff, but Ash did not complain, merely doing as told. Some time later brought the two to a cart on some tracks. They both got in and Ash thusly experience the hell that was Gringotts carts. One sickening ride later, Ash was standing in front of an insane amount of coins and what appeared to be family heirlooms.

“This… This is all mine?” All of their grace was thrown out of the window the moment they realized just how much money was there. And it was all theirs. At the nod from the goblin, Ash let out a soft ‘oh’. “Would you happen to have something I could take some of this money in?”

“Fer ten galleons, you can have a bottomless bag.” Ash contemplated the price and thought about Snape’s explanation of the money system in the wizarding world.

“Very well. It’s an acceptable price to pay.” They grabbed the needed coins and handed them over to the goblin, gaining a bag in return. Ash shoved coins into the bag, taking far more than was needed, but hey, they might want more books throughout the year. After a few seconds of debating, they also decided to grab a few books from the vault, one titled as a ‘grimoire’. The two left the vault and Ash went on their way. 

Ash went from shop to shop, getting their supplies. When they got to Madam Malkins, they made sure to get a full wardrobe as well-- they didn’t like how much they stood out like a sore thumb. (No, Madame, I am not a girl! I would like some guys robes, please!) All they had left to get now was a wand and a pet, should they want one. So they made their way to Ollivander’s. 

“Welcome!” Ash jumped, looking around for who spoke. Their gaze fell upon an old, graying man and they watched him warily. “Welcome to my shop. You’re here for a wand, yes?” He paused when he got closer to Ash, staring at the child curiously. “Curious and curiouser, yes?” Ash stared, unsure if they even wanted to know what he meant. 

“What..” They gave in and asked what he expected them to ask. “What do you mean, curious?” But they were given no answer and left with all the more questions. They went through the process of finding their wand, swishing and waving wand after wand. A large pile of them grew beside them, and Ash began to despair that they might not even have a wand meant for them. Finally, Ollivander handed them one with dark wood.

“Yew, 11 inches, semi-bendy and unicorn hair. Give it a wave.” Doing as told, Ash waved the wand. Blue and silver sparks erupted from the tip, causing their face to light up. 

“Thank you, Mr. Ollivander!” Ash gave the man the money for the wand and then headed off to the pet shop, wondering if they would even get a pet. The moment they entered the building, all of the animals in sight reacted poorly. Some hissed, while others just moved away. Ash sighed, they had suspected this would happen. They were about to leave, but stopped when they heard someone talking to themself. The voice was effeminate and lilted, making Ash smile slightly. Following the sound, the preteen ended up in the very back of the store, but not a single person was in sight. 

“Huh… I could have sworn…” they trailed off, realising that they were probably just crazy. They looked around and we're about to just leave when their gaze fell upon one of the most beautiful creatures they had ever seen. At first glance, it looked like a snake, but the gorgeous feathered wings, enchanting blue scales, and bird-like face made it quite obvious it was more than just some snake. Looking at the label on the side, Ashy hummed in interest. “An occamy, huh? Never heard of one of those?” 

Never heard of an occamy? Crazy human! The voice seemed offended, and Ash froze, staring at the occamy. 

“Excuse me, but did you just speak?” Ash’s voice trembled slightly, but they managed to keep some semblance of calm. Hearing their words, the magical creature shot out of the habitat it was given and curled around Ash’s neck, the grip tight. 

Yay! I have a master! Hah, that shows them! I'm a familiar and they're not! The rant continued along those lines for a while, and Ash was thoroughly traumatised. Thankfully, the shop owner seemed to feel their confusion and almost materialised beside them. 

“Judging by your seeming to understand this beauty, I'd say you just found your familiar!” The man grinned and thumped Ash on the back. “You look awfully confused…” He paused, before deciding to explain it to the poor kid. “Some wizards or witches are lucky enough to have a familiar, you see. Most familiars are low level magical creatures, but you're apparently lucky enough to have an occamy. Familiars are intrinsically tied to your magic, you know, so you can understand them and they can aid you in numerous ways.” The man kept talking, but Ash didn't quite comprehend a lot of it. Finally, they just tuned him out. 

He sucks at explaining, pouted the familiar, all you need to know is I'm yours and you're mine! Now give me a name! She was very demanding, making Ash smile slightly. 

“A name, huh? Bella. Your name is Bella.”

**Author's Note:**

> Critique and comments much appreciated!


End file.
